Newsday's final top 10 high school baseball team rankings for the season
The Massapequa baseball team celebrates winning the state Class AAA championship. Credit: Matthew Crisafulli
(previous ranking in parentheses)
1. Massapequa (3)
Massapequa (25-3-1) is once again proving to be the class of baseball on Long Island. Jack Scannapieco was brilliant on the mound in a 7-1 win over Liverpool to claim the state Class AAA championship. Massapequa also won the Long Island title with an 11-6 win over Connetquot.
2. Plainedge (2)
A 28-game winning streak came to a halt in a 5-0 loss to Averill Park in the state Class A final in Binghamton. The Red Devils (28-1) rode a powerful pitching rotation that included Jaxson Torres and Taylor Nitsch to the state tournament.
3. Bellmore JFK (8)
The Cougars (22-6) took out Hauppauge in the Long Island Class AA title game, 9-3. They lost in the state semifinal to undefeated Cornwall, 5-3.
4. Garden City (7)
The Trojans (23-8) lost in the third game of the best-of-three series to Bellmore JFK for the Nassau Class AA crown. A leg injury to pitcher Chris Desiderio proved devastating to the Trojans' title hopes.
5. Connetquot (4)
The Suffolk Class AAA champions were stopped again in the Long Island championship by Massapequa. The T-Birds (21-4) are a model of consistency, playing in the Long Island final in three of the past five years.
6. St. Dominic (9)
The Bayhawks (23-14) got hot in the NSCHSAA tournament and ran the table to a state title. Tyler Camastro-Szwejkowski threw a two-hitter in the 9-1 win over Nichols (Buffalo) in the final.
7. Kings Park (5)
The Kingsmen (21-3) couldn’t solve the shutdown pitching of Plainedge in a 2-0 loss in the Long Island Class A final.
8. Center Moriches (NR)
Starting pitcher Dan Gilroy led the Red Devils (20-4) past Oyster Bay for the Long Island Class B crown. Rain delays derailed Center Moriches' ride to the state title in a 5-2 loss in the state semifinal.
9. Clarke (NR)
The Rams (20-5) were swept in the Nassau Class AA tournament by the eventual county champion, Bellmore JFK.
10. Long Island Lutheran (NR)
The Crusaders (20-6) — behind the big arm of Matt Muzikant — earned the NYSAIS state championship for the first time in program history.
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
